Five talking points from the week in UAE business

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  Satish Kumar / The National

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  Sarah Dea / The National

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  Pawan Singh / The National

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  Chris Ratcliffe / Bloomberg

We take a look at the new Emirates advert, offshore banking, UAE phone usage, energy subsidies and Tim Hortons.

Emirates makes its point

The world had its first look at the new Emirates advert featuring Friends star Jennifer Aniston this week. The majority of feedback we've received has been positive, as the Dubai carrier's ad notched up nearly a million YouTube views in its first day and is now approaching 1.5 million - reaching people being its primary objection. And, as well as informing everyone on how brilliant its product is, also took a hefty jab at the American airlines in which it is involved in a spat with over the Open Skies policy and allegations of subsidies which the Gulf airlines deny. But while Emirates has put itself at the forefront of our minds, it has indicated that it won't be making headline announcements at the Dubai Air Show next month - not involving plane orders anyway. President Tim Clark said Emirates is still studying the Airbus A350 and rival 787 from Boeing and won't make a decision on a potential order before next year, while discussions are ongoing regarding a new version of the A380. Ian Oxborrow

Urge to switch power habits

On a hot day, something we are not short of, it's possible to take a morning shower, maybe one on returning from work, and then another after the gym. Times that by a few if it's a family. Add in having the air conditioning on all day, water for washing the dishes, washing clothes and add a bit more for those that leave the tap on while cleaning their teeth. And then there's the electricity consumption. The lights left on when no-one is at home, the television blaring when nobody is watching and the phone charger permanently plugged into the wall. Personal hygiene is a must, but we can all take small steps to improve the consumption problem in the UAE, and small steps by many people will result in huge government savings. Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy, said this week that he hopes consumers will cut their consumption by 10 per cent – instead of increasing it at a rate of 6 per cent a year. This could trim Dh3.5bn from the power and water subsidy bill. Ian Oxborrow

Have a phone? It’s a Samsung

Residents in the UAE are growing increasing fond of Samsung devices, but is it any wonder? Its name is emblazoned on billboards, it takes the most space in electronics stores to show off its wares and it's the only smartphone-making brand that I hear advertising on the radio as I chug through the morning rat-run. There's also the possibility that it makes mighty-fine technology, particularly in the smartphone segment. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has revealed that 32.6 per cent of all handsets registered on UAE networks in the second quarter were manufactured by Samsung. This was followed by Nokia handsets which have a presence of 31.5 per cent on all networks. Apple comes in third, and would of course be higher but for its insistence on only catering to the top end of the market. Also interesting was that BlackBerry came in fourth, despite its relative death in the global mobile phone battle. And anyone suggesting that Facebook is past its sell-by date in this region should take a look at the social media data: the TRA said visits to Facebook accounted for 90 per cent of total visits to social networking sites. Twitter accounted for 7 per cent. Ian Oxborrow

Today Dubai, tomorrow the world

Elias Diaz Sese is a ball of energy. He gestures, he smiles broadly, he grumbles out an explosion sound to make a point, he almost jumps out of his seat as he explains his big ideas. You might think he'd had about six coffees too many – especially given that he is seated in the Tim Hortons outlet at the base of The Dubai Mall. Yet Diaz, since January the president of Tim Hortons' worldwide operations, was drinking water and not java. The man's career is his caffeine (the job, his jolt). In an interview with The National, he raved about how great Tim Hortons is - he was pretty much in "Everything is Awesome" mode - and though reluctant to discuss specifics, he did allow that the success the Canadian-based coffee-and-a-cruller chain has enjoyed in the Emirates has created a template for global expansion. Rob McKenzie

Offshore banking not just for mega-rich

Last week's guide to offshore banking in the Money section was a big hit with readers. It explained the ins and outs of setting up an offshore account but, more importantly, analysed why they are useful for expats. While many wrongly assume offshore banking is for the mega-rich looking to hide their money from tax authorities, in reality it is a practical way for internationally mobile expats to manage their finances in multiple currencies. More than that, if your job regularly takes you from one expat location to another, you can retain the same account wherever you are. But like any financial vehicle, it's all about finding the right account to suit your needs. Expats need to consider what they want it for ie as a simple bank account, for savings or as an entire wealth management prospect. And they need to be aware of account charges, interest rates, international transfer fees and hidden penalties such as those applied for not maintaining a minimum balance. While the benefits of having an account are easy to understand, picking the right one is a little trickier. Alice Haine